The Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey The Hero Journey is a paradigm. A paradigm is a model or standard form that governs our experience and sense of reality. The Hero Journey is both a physical as well as a psychological or emotional experience. Not all hero journeys will follow this paradigm exactly.

Joseph Campbell 1904-1987 "Myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human manifestation..." (Joseph Campbell, Hero with a Thousand Faces)

From The Hero with a Thousand Faces The mythological hero, setting forth from his common day hut or castle, is lured, carried away, or else voluntarily proceeds, to the threshold of adventure. There he encounters a shadow presence that guards the passage. The hero may defeat or conciliate this power and go alive into the kingdom of the dark (brother-battle, dragon-battle; offering, charm), or be slain by the opponent and descend in death (dismemberment, crucifixion). Beyond the threshold, then, the hero journeys through a world of unfamiliar yet strangely intimate forces, some of which severely threaten him (tests), some of which give magical aid (helpers). When he arrives at the nadir of the mythological round, he undergoes a supreme ordeal and gains his reward. The triumph may be represented as the hero's sexual union with the goddess-mother of the world (sacred marriage), his recognition by the father-creator (father atonement), his own divinization (apotheosis), or again—if the powers have remained unfriendly to him—his theft of the boon he came to gain (bride-theft, fire-theft); intrinsically it is an expansion of consciousness and therewith of being (illumination, transfiguration, freedom). The final work is that of the return. If the powers have blessed the hero, he now sets forth under their protection (emissary); if not, he flees and is pursued (transformation flight, obstacle flight). At the return threshold the transcendental powers must remain behind; the hero re-emerges from the kingdom of dread (return resurrection). The boon that he brings restores the world (elixir).

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 1: The Ordinary World This is the Hero’s home, the safe haven from which he must leave and seek to return to Get to know and identify with the Hero’s drives, urges, and problems Identify the problem (outer or inner) which disrupts the Ordinary World

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 2: The Call to Adventure Disrupts the comfort of the Hero’s Ordinary World Often delivered by the Herald archetype May come in different forms (a message, an action, an arrival, etc.)

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 3: Refusal of the Call The Hero has fears or insecurities The Hero prefers the safe haven of the Ordinary World The refusal demonstrates the risks involved in the Journey Each call and refusal escalates the stakes until the Hero has no choice but to accept

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 4: Meeting the Mentor The Mentor provides confidence, insight, advice, training, or magical gifts The Mentor may not be a person. It could be an object or an inner force such as a code

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 5: Crossing the Threshold Signifies that the Hero has finally committed to the journey The threshold separates the Ordinary World from the Special World

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 6: Tests, Allies, Enemies The Hero learns the rules of the Special World The Hero must learn who can be trusted The Hero needs this stage to test

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 7: Approach to the Abyss The Abyss leads to the journey’s heart or central Ordeal The Hero has survived his descent into the Special World The Hero often takes a respite before facing the Ordeal

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 8: The Ordeal/Revelation/Abyss The central life-or-death crisis or crises The Hero faces his greatest fear; experiences “death” Only through “death” can the Hero be reborn The resurrection grants greater powers or insight

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 9: Reward Having survived “death”, the Hero receives what he sought It comes in many forms (a magical sword, an elixir, knowledge, reconciliation) This allows the Hero to replenish himself and the audience to “catch its breath”

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 10: The Road Back The Hero must accept the Road Back to Ordinary World Like crossing the threshold, the Hero needs an event that will push him back (a force to chase him out of the Special World)

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 11: The Resurrection The Hero’s most dangerous meeting with death A cleansing or purification that must occur The Hero is reborn or transformed It may be a physical Ordeal with the entire world at stake Must prove he has reached Heroic Status and accept his sacrifice for the benefit of the Ordinary World

Stages of the Hero’s Journey Stage 12: Return with the elixir The final Reward The Hero has been resurrected and purified and has earned the right to be accepted back into the Ordinary World The Hero shares the Elixir of the journey with others or heals a wounded land All celebrate the journey’s end with revelry or marriage Harmony and balance are restored to the Ordinary World

The Archetypes Archetypes describe the function or role the characters play in a story. Think of an Archetype as a mask a character wears. In a story, characters may change masks with other characters from time to time. The following slides list the Archetypes that occur most frequently along with their functions.

Archetype: The Hero The Hero (“to serve and sacrifice”) His/her purpose is to separate and sacrifice self for the service of the Journey He/she does not have to be all good (antiheroes, outlaws, loner heroes) He/she grows or learns the most during the Journey

Mythic Hero Elevated parentage Gods or nobility Exposed as an infant Grow larger/stronger than most others First heroic deed/test

Mythic Hero Adopted by poor foster family What myths have we read where we have seen this? Perseus Theseus Hercules Atalanta

Mythic Hero Has marvelous adventures Saves a princess from a dreadful fate Marries her

Mythic Hero Eventually meets with a mysterious death

Archetypes of the Tragic Hero

The Tragic Hero is Noble He has greatness about him Outstanding quality Must fall from a height

The Tragic Hero is good, but not perfect His fall results from his committing Hamartia (tragic flaw) He is responsible—even if he is totally unaware and act out of the best intentions His fall is the result of his own free choice

The Hero’s Misfortune is Not Wholly Deserved His punishment for acting on his tragic flaw exceeds the crime We realize, with sadness, the waste of human potential

The Tragic Fall is Not Pure Loss The hero gains significant insight

Tragedy Arouses Solemn Emotions Audience feels pity and fear, compassion and awe Audience is exhilarated with the appalling sense of human waste, and has a fresh recognition of human greatness

Archetypes of the Anti-Hero

Traits of the Anti-Hero Deprived of the rules and consequences of society Is an outlaw and has no status in society so he must wander on the fringes of society

Traits of the Anti-Hero Rejects the values, rules, and attitudes of society and political establishment Seeks to establish his own rules and ethics

Traits of the Anti-Hero A failure, crude, sometimes stupid or even dishonest Often angry

Traits of the Anti-Hero The anti-hero can fit some of the traits of other heroes, or possibly even started out as a hero but made a selfish choice along the journey that ruined him.

Archetype: The Mentor The Mentor (“to guide”) The Mentor provides motivation, insight, training, guidance Has traveled the road before May provide the hero with magical gifts May be an Inner Mentor like a code of honor or justice

Archetype: Threshold Guardian The Threshold Guardian (“to test”) Protects the Special World and its secrets from the Hero Provides Tests which the Hero must pass to prove commitment and worth May be characters, objects, or forces

Archetype: The Herald The Herald (“to warn and challenge”) Issues challenges or announces the coming of significant change Often appears at the beginning of the Journey

Archetype: The Shapeshifter (“to question and deceive”) Misleads the Hero by hiding a character’s intentions and loyalties Presence causes doubts and questions in the Hero’s mind Creates suspense

Archetype: The Trickster The Trickster (“to disrupt”) Disrupts the “status quo”, turning the Ordinary World into chaos Uses laughter to help the Hero see the absurdity of a situation Often is the Hero’s sidekick

Archetype: The Shadow The Shadow (“to destroy”) Represents our darkest or rejected desires Symbolizes our greatest fears and phobias May not be all bad May be another character or something lurking within the Hero that must be accepted or purged